1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a mobile telecommunication system, and more particularly, to a method and system for updating of a home-zone list in a database for home-zone service especially when a user wants to change a configuration of a cell.
2. Description of the Related Art
In general, a cellular mobile communication system means the system which includes a plurality of base transceiver subsystems (BTS), a plurality of base station controllers (BSC), and a mobile switching center (MSC), and through which a mobile subscriber can have communication with others using a portable wireless terminal while moving one place to another. Especially, the mobile telecommunication system providing a home-zone service establishes a particular region, a home-zone, and applies differential charges on calls in the home-zone region. Here, the home-zone region indicates a region whose charging rate is different from other regions.
This home-zone service is created to meet diverse needs of the subscribers by differentiating the charging system in the mobile telecommunication. Generally, the home-zone region is a circular service area with a designated radius, having the registered home address of a mobile subscriber as the center. In this manner, the mobile subscriber can make phone calls at very low wire telephone call charge within the home-zone region, and is charged of mobile phone charges outside of the home-zone region.
Once a mobile terminal subscriber subscribes to the home-zone service, a service carrier coordinates the corresponding subscriber's home address, and sets a roughly circular home-zone region having a designated radius (for example, 1 km (kilometer)) from the coordinates. Here, the home-zone region can cover one or a plurality of cell regions, depending on the home address of the subscriber. Information data for indicating the established home-zone region is recorded in a home location register (HLR), to which one or a plurality of mobile switching systems can be connected. Furthermore, in case there is a service request from the subscriber who had registered to the home-zone service, the information data is used to apply differential charges in accordance with the home-zone information. However, the configuration of a cell after initiating of an initial service keeps changing continuously. In other words, the configuration of a cell can be changed because a base station is sometimes expanded or moved or taken away to optimize radio environment. Therefore, if the expansion and moving of the base station brings a change to the base station where calls are usually received, the base station providing the home-zone service to the subscriber is also changed, and the home-zone information should be changed eventually.
When thusly changed cell configuration is not properly reflected on the home-zone list, the subscriber is not able to make calls normally within the home-zone region, or is charged of wrong phone fees. Not only for the subscriber, but also the service carrier might suffer a loss by accidentally applying the home-zone phone call charge to a non-home-zone region. That is to say, if only the first registered information to the home-zone region is used for the home-zone service, it is always possible to bring damage suffered by the loss on the service carrier or the service subscriber because of the change in the cell configuration or the wrongfully established home-zone region.
As an attempt to solve the problem described above, the present applicant filed a patent application with the Korean Intellectual Property Office on Oct. 11 of 2000, Korean Pat. No. 2000-59750, under the title, “System and method for real-time updating of home-zone database in mobile telecommunication system”. Particularly, the patent application introduced a system and method for updating a home-zone region of a subscriber by receiving information about a home-zone confirmation call from a mobile switching system through the home-zone confirmation call connection requested form the subscriber, storing and utilizing the home-zone confirmation call information. Unfortunately however, in such case, since the subscriber has to connect home-zone confirmation call by himself, it was rather uncomfortable for many subscribers to do so every time, and any changes in the home-zone region caused by the change of the configuration of a cell before the subscriber connects the call was not reflected in a real-time mode.